Reaching the Checkered Flag
Hebrews 12:1-3
Sermon Outline:
Bible Truths and LIFE Applications
So many people honestly think that coming to know Jesus … being saved … is the end result of their spiritual journey. They could not be further from the truth!
Knowing Jesus is only the beginning … it is the beginning of a lifelong race of faith. There are many spiritual “miles” that we must travel before this race of life and faith is over. We must work and prepare to run this race of faith with God for our entire lifetimes!
How can you stay focused on the “finish line?”
1. Know that there are others who have successfully completed this race of life and faith. (v. 1a)
• There are the great heroes of the faith in the Bible.
• There are the heroes of the faith in your own life.
2. Get ready to run an effective, lifelong faith-race. (v. 1b)
• Get rid of anything that will distract you from running the race effectively.
• Avoid getting tangled in a web of sin.
• Don’t burn out … run with perseverance.
3. Keep your focus on Jesus, not upon yourself. (vv. 2-3)
• Remember Peter’s experience!
4. Stay strong … do not give up … finish the race! (v. 3b)
• If you follow Jesus, the world will be against you.
• Always remember, this is just a temporary stop on the way to real life!
One Last Application
Never fool yourself into thinking that you have “arrived,” or you are more spiritually “together” than others around you. No mater how spiritually mature you think you may be, you always have some growing to do.’
Remember … the race isn’t over until you are standing before Jesus!
Sermon Transcript:
Reaching the Checkered Flag
Hebrews 12:1-3
Before we get into today’s study, let’s review a little from last week …
A Little Review From “Surviving a Crash”
1. Keep your faith in God.
2. Pray.
3. Maintain your complete trust in God.
4. Beware of bad advice.
5. Wait upon the Lord. He remains in control.
Opening Illustration
Two gas company service men, a senior training Supervisor and a young trainee were out checking meters and parked their truck at the end of the alley and worked there way to the other end. At the last house a woman looking out her kitchen window watched the two men as they checked her gas meter. As they finished the meter check the older supervisor challenged his younger co-worker to a foot race down the alley back to the truck.
As they came running up to the truck, they realized that the lady from the last house was huffing and puffing right behind them. They stopped and asked her what was wrong. Gasping for breath she said, "When I see two gas men running full speed away from my house, I figured I had better run too."
Contributed by: Stan Martin to sermoncentral.com
That lady was running, wasn’t she? Now, she wasn’t exactly sure why she was running, but she seemed to think that her life depended on it.
Wouldn’t it be truly awesome if every person who claims the name of Christ, every individual who desires to be called a Christian, would run the race of faith as if their lives depended on it … because they do!
But, sadly, many Christian folk aren’t really even in this race of faith. Oh, they may have been saved … they have come to know Jesus as Savior and Lord … but that’s it. They’re not growing, they’re not serving, and they’re not sharing their faith. It’s like they jumped across the starting line … and then they laid down to rest. They have taken themselves out of the race before it even really started.
Today, friends, I want us to finish this series by learning how we can finish the race. I want us to talk about Reaching the Checkered Flag. You know, in a NSACAR race, it doesn’t matter how well dressed the driver is or how pretty the car is. It doesn’t matter how much money their sponsors gave them. And it really doesn’t matter how fast they run … unless they actually cross that finish line. Really, it is all for naught unless they cross that line and see that checkered flag waved over the track.
Friends, those of us who follow Jesus have to realize that we are still on the track. We have not finished the race. We cannot just sit back and relax and wait for Jesus to come back. We have a job to do. We have more laps to run. We have many miles to cover.
I’m sure that there are some of you here today who are on God’s team, but you’re not really in the race of faith. You’re a whole lot more interested in what you can get out of your faith and your church than you are in what you need to put into them. If that’s the case in your life, then this is going to be a very important message for you today.
Let’s look to God’s Word for truth and inspiration. Let’s read together from the letter to the Hebrews 12:1-3.
Bible Truths and LIFE Applications
So many people honestly think that coming to know Jesus … being saved … is the end result of their spiritual journey. They could not be further from the truth!
Knowing Jesus is only the beginning … it is the beginning of a lifelong race of faith. There are many spiritual “miles” that we must travel before this race of life and faith is over. We must work and prepare to run this race of faith with God for our entire lifetimes!
How can you stay focused on the “finish line?”
1. Know that there are others who have successfully completed this race of life and faith. (v. 1a)
The writer calls these people a “great cloud of witnesses.” But who are these witnesses? Well, the first thing you need to realize is that the first word in this chapter is “therefore.” It refers back to what was just written in chapter 11. And chapter 11 is an inspiring list of heroes of the faith from the Old Testament … people who ran the race of faith with integrity and with success. So, the first examples we have of people who have completed the race of faith are the …
• There are the great heroes of the faith in the Bible.
There are people like Noah. Remember, he spent 120 years building the ark. 120 years! Now, think about that. Some of us in this room are some of the most impatient people on the planet. Right? We get upset because the microwave takes 2:30 to pop the popcorn instead of 2:00. So we fuss, and complain, and live impatient lives. Some of us even get impatient when we think that God doesn’t move fast enough to suit us. Then we can remember a patient hero like Noah.
Or there is a hero like Joseph, who endured being sold into slavery by his own brothers. He was convicted of crimes he didn’t commit and was thrown into prison. And Joseph remained faithful. So God restored him to a position of power even greater than what he had known before. What can we learn from Joseph in the race of faith? Well, it’s easy to be faithful when life is good … but the real test of your faith is when you’ve hit rock bottom.
And there are many other heroes like Abraham, Moses, Samson, Samuel, and David … just to name a few. But together, these heroes of the Bible form a great cloud of witnesses who stand before us and shout, “Keep running the race! We made it! You can, too!”
• There are the heroes of the faith in your own life.
We all have heroes in the faith in our lives … people who had an impact … people who have gone on to be with the Lord. Maybe it was a parent or grandparent, or a teacher, or another adult in your church. But I’m sure that you can remember someone along the way. Personal Testimony – Teacher, George Norvell – hardest teacher I ever had, most devoted man of God.
Transition Illustration: In the 1986 New York City Marathon, almost 20,000 runners entered the race. What is memorable is not who won, but who finished last. His name was Bob Wieland. He finished 19,413th—dead last. Bob completed the New York marathon in 4 days, 2 hours, 47 minutes, and 17 seconds. It was unquestionably the slowest marathon in history—ever. So, what is it that made Bob Wieland’s marathon so special? Bob ran with his arms. 17 years earlier while in Vietnam, Bob’s legs were blown off in battle. He sits on a 15 pound saddle and covers his fists with pads. He uses his arms to catapult himself forward one arm-length at a time. He can run a mile in an hour. That is real endurance in the face of adversity.
Contributed by: Ed Wood
Now, friends, that is endurance … that is effort, isn’t it? And we can learn a lot from that incredible example in that man’s life. We nee to learn the lesson of endurance. And that brings us to Bible truth number two…
2. Get ready to run an effective, lifelong faith-race. (v. 1b)
The writer here uses the word, “perseverance.” But what is perseverance? What is endurance? Perseverance and endurance mean that, even when you don’t feel like you can go on … you keep going anyway.
I have an exercise machine that is doing a lot to teach me endurance. I run on this thing for thirty minutes, three or four times a week. After about fifteen minutes my hands start to get numb, sweat is pouring down in my eyes, and my side hurts. But I make myself keep going. I refuse to quit … and it gets just a tiny bit easier to do each time. I try to focus on my thoughts, on the music that I’m playing, on visions of the beach … anything to keep my mind off of the clock that just keeps ticking, and ticking, and ticking.
Friends, the clock of life is ticking. And we need to be paying attention. We need to have our hearts and minds focused on this race. It does not just last for the moment of a salvation experience, or through your childhood, of from 9:00 until noon on Sunday. The race lasts a lifetime. How can you effectively run this lifelong race?
• Get rid of anything that will distract you from running the race effectively.
Distractions do not necessarily have to be bad. In fact, if the truth be known, it is more often things that are fundamentally good that keep Christians on the sidelines and out of the race of faith. You see, the devil gets a lot more accomplished by keeping us occupied with good stuff than he does by attacking us with bad stuff. I am absolutely convinced of that. So, what in your life is distracting you from the race? What do you need to get rid of?
• Avoid getting tangled in a web of sin.
Of course, the bad stuff … the sin in our lives … keeps us distracted, too. It is downright impossible to run in God’s race of faith when you are weighed down by a burden of personal sin.
• Don’t burn out … run with perseverance.
Finally … don’t quit. Don’t give up. No matter what direction life takes you, stay in the race of faith. There is always a new day and a new opportunity.
3. Keep your focus on Jesus, not upon yourself. (vv. 2-3)
Do you want to be an effective participant in this race of faith, then keep your eyes on Jesus! Stop thinking about yourself so much and consider what Jesus is leading you to be and do in your life.
• Remember Peter’s experience!
Tell the story of Jesus and Peter walking on the water – Matthew 14.
I’m sure that a whole lot of us are in this self-centered boat. Oh, we say really spiritual things. We talk a good religious talk. But, our focus is anywhere but on Jesus. It is still on self. In fact, I’ll bet there are some of you here today who have never fixed your eyes and your heart upon Jesus at all. You are out there on the turbulent sea of your life, floundering and drowning, waiting for someone to rescue. Friend, that someone who wants to lift you out of that sea of selfishness and sin is Jesus.
Close Eyes – Gospel Presentation
I pay that there was someone here today who began his or her race of faith just a moment ago. Near the end of our worship time, I will let you know how you can tell me about your decision.
Finally, let me share with you one last step toward a successful completion of this race of faith.
4. Stay strong … do not give up … finish the race! (v. 3b)
Do all that you can to not grow weary and lose heart. Stay strong, remain faithful, and never give up. There is a great victory awaiting you at the end of this race! But let me remind you of a couple of important points about our race of faith.
• If you follow Jesus, the world will be against you.
• Always remember, this is just a temporary stop on the way to real life!
The true finish line is when we step out of this life and into eternity with Jesus Christ. The race is over when we hear those blessed words from the mouth of Jesus, “Well done. My good and faithful servant.” This life that we are living is wonderful, it is important, and it is special … but it is only temporary. Real life is found in heaven, in eternity, with our Lord Jesus Christ.
Closing Illustration
A few years ago, at the 2002 Winter Olympics, there were five finalists for the Men’s 1000 Meter Speed Skating Race. During the final lap, the American and Chinese were out front with the Canadian and Korean skaters hot on their heels. Australia trailed behind obviously destined for last place. As they came around the last curve for the final straightaway stretch, everyone gathered around our television were on the edge of their seats cheering for America to pull out in front. The winner would receive the Olympic Gold medal.
Suddenly, the Chinese skater slightly bumped the American and sent both of them careening into the wall as they spun out of control. With no time or space to get out of their way, the tangled mess caused the Canadian and Korean skaters to also spin out of control and join them in a tangled heap of arms and legs. The Australian skater pushed by the heap and shouted to the top of his lungs as he crossed the finish line, “Gold! I won the Gold!”
This was so great! You see, he won the Gold for no other reason than he crossed the finish line! He finished the race! He was not the fastest. He did not set any records. He just simply didn’t quit or get tangled up in the mess around him.
Contributed by: Phillip Williamson to sermoncentral.com .
Friends, there are plenty of things to hold us back and entangle us in this race of faith. Let me encourage you … fight through them, remain faithful, keep your eyes on Jesus, and finish the race!
Prayer and Challenge
• Recommitment
• Church Membership
One Last Application
Never fool yourself into thinking that you have “arrived,” or you are more spiritually “together” than others around you. No mater how spiritually mature you think you may be, you always have some growing to do.’
Remember … the race isn’t over until you
